CNET – RIAA threatens 19 universities with lawsuits:
Just in time to welcome many students back from fall break, the Recording Industry Association of America on Thursday dispatched a new round of “prelitigation” letters to 19 U.S. universities from coast to coast, alleging that campus networks are being used to commit copyright infringement.
Worth reading and considering is a new draft article by Professor Steven Shavell that proposes abolishing copyright on academic works.
It's too easy to look at recent trends, or project current biases, on the law, and assume that the trend extends backwards in time in a similar fashion. This is a useful lesson to keep in mind whether one is look at law and technology, or Constitutional issues.
I don't believe universities (in their best form, at least) are easily replicated by technological means of information dissemination. But despite the advantages their physicality and tradition offers, many universities have tended to see themselves as simply the means to fill students up with information, stick an "approved" stamp on them, and send them out into the world.
Should there be no copyright for academic publications?
I'm currently a graduate student of the history of law and technology at the University of California, San Diego. I also provide law and technology consulting services.
Additionally, I'm a non-practicing lawyer and former developer/sysadmin at a biotech non-profit. For more about me and my work, see krisnelson.org or my Google Profile. Post title: RIAA threatens 19 universities with lawsuits
Authored by: Kristopher Nelson
Date posted: Oct 18, 2007
Categorized as: copyright • education • law • news
Permalink: http://inpropriapersona.com/riaa-threatens-19-universities-with-lawsuits/
Shortlink: http://wp.me/pxgNP-2g
Alternate URL: /2007/10/riaa-threatens-19-universities-with.html
RSS Feed
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
